Written in My Own Heart's Blood
Written in My Own Heart's Blood is the eighth novel in the ''Outlander'' series by Diana Gabaldon. Main Characters * Claire Fraser: The story's protagonist, a physician who was born in the the 20th century, but has transported herself to the 18th-century Scotland, where she fell in love with a Highland warrior Jamie Fraser. After living for twenty years apart, they were reunited in 1766 and have settled in North Carolina. During the American Revolutionary War, Claire works as surgeon for the Continental army. * James "Jamie" Fraser: Former heir to the Lallybroch estate in Scotland, and proprietor of the Fraser's Ridge estate in North Carolina. Jamie is a high-ranking officer in the Continental army. * Brianna MacKenzie: Daughter of Claire and Jamie, who was raised in 20th-century Boston, but has later lived with her parents and her husband Roger in the 18th century for seven years. She was forced to return to the 20th century due to her daughter's heart condition. She is an engineer. * Roger MacKenzie: Brianna's Scottish husband, a historian. Minister...but not yet ordained * Ian Fraser Murray: Jamie's nephew, who has moved with Jamie and Claire to America. Ian had lived with a Mohawk tribe for 2.5 years, but returned to Fraser's Ridge. He is an Indian scout, with allegiance to the Continental army. * William Ransom: Ninth Earl of Ellesmere, Captain in the British Royal Army, and Jamie's illegitimate son. * Lord John Grey: Lieutenant Colonel in the British Royal Army, Jamie's longtime friend, William's stepfather and Claire's erstwhile husband. Plot In June of 1778, the world turns upside-down. The British army withdraws from Philadelphia, prepares to move from Valley Forge in pursuit, and Jamie Fraser comes back from the dead to discover that his best friend has married his wife. The ninth Earl of Ellesmere discovers to his horror that he is, in fact, the illegitimate son of the newly-resurrected Jamie Fraser (a rebel and a Scottish criminal!) and Jamie's nephew Ian Murray discovers that his newfound cousin has an eye for his Quaker betrothed. Meanwhile, Claire deals with an asthmatic duke, , and the fear that one of her husbands may have murdered the other. And in the 20th century, Jamie and Claire's daughter, Brianna, is thinking that things are probably easier in the 18th century: her son has been kidnapped, her husband has disappeared into the past, and she's facing a vicious criminal with nothing but a stapler in her hand. Timeline of Significant Events |-|1770s= : **Percy warns Grey that William is in danger from Captain Richardson. Grey escapes from the Continental army camp to find his son. **William is knocked unconscious by Hessian grenadiers. Ian finds him but is assaulted by two Indians. He then reaches Jamie and takes a few soldiers to get help for William. **Grey reaches the British army's camp and is kept prisoner. After a while, another group of prisoners is brought, Ian Murray among them. **Claire is shot. Jamie resigns his commision to stay with her, and Denzell Hunter performs a surgery to retrieve the bullet. **Grey is reunited with William and Hal. Ian kills one of the Indians who attacked him earlier, and leaves the British camp. *June 29–early July: **Jane and Fanny disappear from the army followers' camp, and William goes to look for them. **Claire is recovering. Lord John and his brother Hal pay Jamie a visit to ask for a letter of introduction to General Arnold. They are searching for William, as well as Hal's son Benjamin, who was taken by rebels months earlier and is rumored to be dead. **Having located Jane and Fanny, William meets Rachel Hunter. They find Ian Murray, who was shot with an arrow during the battle and is fevered. Rachel takes Jane and Fanny to a Quaker settlement, while William transports Ian to Jamie. **William, who has resigned his commission, comes to Lord John's house and offers to search for Benjamin. *Late July/early August: **A double Quaker wedding takes place in Philadelphia – Denzell Hunter is married to Dottie Grey, and Ian Murray to Rachel Hunter. *September: **Jamie starts preparations for the journey back to Fraser's Ridge. Fergus and Marsali receive threats. **Ian's beloved dog Rollo dies. Rachel gets pregnant. **William finds the grave that presumably belongs to his cousin Benjamin Grey. However, the body in the grave is not Ben's. **Fergus's printshop burns down. His son Henri-Christian dies while trying to escape from the burning building. **Lord John and Dottie search for Amaranthus Cowden, a woman claiming to be Benjamin's widow and the mother of his son. *Late November: **The Frasers and the Murrays move to Savannah, where Jamie is to retrieve his printing press. *Late December: **General Howe and Colonel Richardson pay Jamie a visit, trying to recruit him, as British army approaches the city. Jamie refuses. **British army invades Savannah. 1779 *January: **Claire learns where Amaranthus Cowden lives and sends a note to William. **Richardson reveals to Claire that he had been an American spy, and planned to make Claire his asset. He also discloses his intentions regarding Hal Grey. **While searching for Amaranthus, William encounters Fanny and learns that Jane has been arrested for the murder of a British officer and is to be hanged. William tries to speak on her behalf to Lieutenant Colonel Campbell, but fails to save her. **As a last resort, William seeks Jamie's help to rescue Jane. They arrive too late – Jane has killed herself. William gives Fanny into the care of the Frasers. **Lord John and Hal find Amaranthus and her son Trevor. The woman wants to go with them. **William and Jamie have a short but honest conversation about William's birth. *Late spring: **Having left Fergus with pregnant Marsali and their daughters Joan and Félicité in Wilmington, Jamie, Claire, Ian, Rachel, Jenny, Germain and Fanny return to the Fraser's Ridge. **Claire encounters a man who raped her several years earlier. **Jamie starts building the new house. *Early JuneA note on dates: *It is June 1, 1779 at the beginning of Chapter 143. *The next morning, June 2, Jamie "goes a-hunting". Claire learns that Rachel is in labor after a visit to Malva's Garden (Chapter 144). *Jamie returns home three days later (Chapter 145), which would make June 5. There is a feast in the evening. *Late in the afternoon the next day – June 6 – the MacKenzies arrive (Chapter 145).: **Jamie leaves the Ridge to track down and kill the man whom Claire saw, having learned about him from Jenny. **Rachel gives birth to Ian's son. **Brianna, Roger and their children arrive at Fraser's Ridge. }} |-|1980= |-|1739= to look for Jerry MacKenzie. Roger gives his father a gem, so that Jerry could go back to is own time through a stone circle. **Roger and Buck meet Geillis Duncan. *December 21: **Brianna, Jemmy and Mandy arrive at Craigh na Dun. Short time later, Roger meets them outside of Lallybroch. }} Trivia *In June 1778, Claire is 61½ and Jamie is 57. By the end of the novel in June 1779, Claire is 62½ and Jamie is 58. *By the end of the novel, Brianna is 32½, Roger is about 41, Jem is 9, and Mandy is 3. Book Covers Maps External Resources *Point of view guide – A chapter-by-chapter breakdown of character points of view. Includes dates for chapters when noted. *"An Outlander Family Tree" – Originally published in Written in My Own Heart's Blood in the end papers. Also published in The Outlandish Companion, Vol. II. References See also es:Escrito con la sangre de mi corazón Category:Novels Category:Novels in the Outlander series Category:Books